Alan Richman: At Estela, An Extraordinary Chef and What Could Be the Steak Dish of the Century (So Far)

If you are an admirer of Houston St., moved by its struggle to rise above a history of drugs, alcohol, and indie rock, reveling in the hilarity of tourists mispronouncing the name, grateful for the existence of Katz's pastrami, you might enjoy finding your way to Estela.

The restaurant is at 47 E. Houston, an address packed with possibilities. On the ground floor is Botanica, a dimly lit bar where to my knowledge nothing requiring sunlight grows. To the left of the bar is a baleful entranceway, the door held open during my visits with a shiny yellow cord, the kind psychos use to tie corpses to bedposts on Law & Order: SVU.

The Best Place to Eat Right Now Is In... A) a hospital B) a car wash C) an arcade D) a ballpark E) all of the above

Michelin-worthy taco trucks. Locavore-Popsicle stands. Foie gras carts. Gourmet cuisine is popping up everywhere. But does the fennel-crusted Berkshire pork belly suffer when it's served near an emergency room? Brett Martin set off on a cross-country search for the most delicious food in the most unlikely places.

And so here we are, under the arc lights, under the Southern California stars, on a picture-perfect summer evening in America. The kids are arriving, headlights swinging slowly down La Brea, down Beverly. They're cruising, looking for parking, checking out the scene at the car wash and gas station on the corner.

I myself am driving a brand-new bright red Ford F-150 pickup truck. This feels important. If you've never been in one of these monsters, it's hard to describe how mighty and right it makes you feel. You understand why men who drive trucks drive like assholes: (a) There's a good chance that, despite mirrors the size of a normal human car's hubcaps, they simply don't see other vehicles. (b) In some larger, existential sense, all other vehicles have ceased to exist. Driving an F-150 makes you want to run over smaller, lesser cars. It makes you want to invade smaller, lesser countries.

Beer Pairing is the New Wine Pairing

"Garçon, Which Pilsner Pairs Best With My Braised Ribs?"

 Ordering a beer in a Michelin three-star restaurant was once about as welcome as asking for your filet mignon to be cooked well-done—a guarantee that you'd earn immediate rube status from your waiter. But some of the country's best restaurants are finally starting to pay as much attention to their beer menus as they do their wine cellars.

Eleven Madison Park
New York City

Right now, no one's doing it better than New York City's Eleven Madison Park, home of the reigning James Beard Foundation chef of the year, Daniel Humm. Last year he commissioned a series of incredible barrel-aged brews from Brooklyn Brewery made specifically for the restaurant, then threw a sold-out tasting-menu feast to kick off its newfound love of malt and hops. Fortunately, Eleven Madison Park isn't the only gastro temple that's started putting beer on a silver platter

 

The Publican
Chicago

Haute-hippie cuisine paired with rarities from Belgium, England, and the U.S.

The Publican's house-blended Belgian beer, Lambic Doux

The Slanted Door
San Francisco

For dessert get Brouwerij De Ryck's melon-and-apricot-laden Arend Tripel ale, imported from Belgium and aged on the Bay.

 

The NoMad
New York City

Brooklyn Brewery specially created NoMad Le Poulet to be paired with the whole roast chicken with black truffles and foie gras. 

Alla Spina
Philadelphia

The bar snacks come from the mind of arguably America's best Italian chef, Marc Vetri. Try the addictive poutine with guinea-hen-leg bolognese, and wash it down with the Piccolo saison from Liguria, aged in Chardonnay barrels for a vinous kick